ACCA - decision trees F5
andrew75
Registered Posts: 12
Hi there, don't know if this is the best place to ask this! In some questions they deduct the decision cost from each EV and in others they work out all the EV's from right to left and then deduct it e.g market research,from the final figure. I'm probably missing something obvious but hope this makes sense.
0
Comments
-
Hi Andrew,
I've never seen any examples where the decision cost (eg market research) is deducted from the outcome EVs (meaning the ones before the final ones). The usual way (and the way that the examiner does it) is, at the decision point compare (for example) the EV with market research less the cost of market research to the EV without market research.
Hope that makes sense. If not, let me know and I'll do it with figures as that's sometimes clearer.
Good luck on Monday!1 -
Hi Jenny, thanks for getting back to me. Perhaps I'm not reading a question correctly. In the kaplan F5 complete text there is an illustration where they deduct 15000 advertising costs from the outcome EV's each time. Is that different?0
-
The Kaplan text is a nightmare when it comes to Decision Trees! I was thoroughly confused by them. The best one to look at is the June 13 exam 'Gym Bunnies'. This is a choice between expanding or not expanding.
You start by calculating the membership profits at each level then work backwards taking the probabilities into account so you are left with 2 EVs at the decision point. The decision is then a choice between expanding (with profits of $10.773m less expansion cost of $360,000) or not expanding (with profits of £10.08m).
The example in the Kaplan text is strange. It's the only when where it's done like that. If you look at the next one (the Duke of York) you'll see the cost of hiring the movie is deducted at the decision point.
I'd stick to doing it that way as that is what the examiner will be looking for.1 -
Hi Jenny, thanks again for the time you have taken and the advice which I will definitely take. I find the books poor in general compared to the Osborne Aat text. Not that I'm getting my excuses ready early or anything! Cheers Andrew0
-
Not a problem. The difficulty with the books (and BPP is as bad as Kaplan) is the huge volume of information they have to cover so sometimes one or two examples just isn't enough - the text book I have for F9 is enormous but I didn't really get to grips with a lot of it until I did the past papers.
I'm just crossing my fingers for tomorrow that the questions are friendly. But, as we know, the Law of Sod dictates that whatever is your strongest area won't come up but your weakest will!0 -
Good luck! I'm feeling pretty nervous although the multiple choice being worth 40 marks helps. I just need 2 or 3 of the other questions to fall kindly. I'm hoping for ABC, linear programming and demand curve. I know they can be tricky but I have practiced the last two so much and they appear to score heavily!0
-
Me too! I know that we can't question spot but none of those came up in December so there's a chance!!
Really not sure about the MCQs. I think that I have them down ok but then one crops up that throws me completely. It's the way they are phrased - you end up doubting yourself even if you think you know the answer.
Sort of bumbling around at the moment. Part of me thinks there's nothing more I can do now but then I think I should still be studying - it's just that I've run out of questions to do and it's not the same when you remember the answers.
Oh well, it'll be over this time tomorrow!0 -
I'm the same. I'm wasting my time doing questions that I know I can do, don't know why, reassurance probably. The discursive parts are my weakness but I'm hoping they will be on subjects I can waffle in a vaguely knowledgeable way! I watched a good video on YouTube where it said if all else fails just try and use common sense I.e what would I do in reality0
-
I think I need to stop now. I've just redone a mock exam I did a few weeks ago and did worse second time round! That is not helping my state of mind!0
-
Ha! Yes it sounds like. I'm just about done I think. Fingers crossed for you. Let me know how you get on and thanks again for your help. Hope I didn't disrupt you too much anyway.0
-
So, what did you think? We got two out of the three we wanted (no linear programming unfortunately) but, for me, the Transfer Pricing and ZBB questions were horrible.
Overall really disappointed with that exam. I did the December one a few weeks ago for practice and thought it was much nicer than this. Felt like the bulk of this was discursive with not much in the way of calculations but that could just be my skewed perspective right now.
Overall feeling a bit flat. There were so many practice questions which I could do perfectly and then that TP one just threw me. Don't mind so much about the ZBB as I knew there was going to be one all wordy one which I'd make a hash of (although it would be nice if it had been for 10 marks instead of 15), but I was hoping I'd be able to make up for that with really good calculations on the other four.
Just didn't know how to approach the TP one at all or what they wanted for 10 marks?
0 -
I crashed and burned I think. I did ok on the Mcq I think but the rest was a disaster. I messed my time management up, I did the ABC fairly well but took too long, then I did the ZBB and wrote loads but reading it back it just seemed like all waffle and no substance. I then had a bit of a meltdown doing the demand curve because my figures seemed ridiculous and I was questioning myself. The transfer price I did in about 8 minutes so not holding out much hope for that. Feeling pretty sick at the moment, I put as much work in as im ever going to be able to.0
-
I think we both had exactly the same experience from the sound of it!
My time management was appalling. I finished the MCQs with 35 mins to spare so that should have given me a handy 7 mins extra for each of section B. But, like you I started with ABC but went over the time even with the extra minutes. Felt like I rushed through all of the rest of it as well and was writing right up to the end. Doesn't seem to matter how much practice I do to time at home - it goes pear shaped in the exam.
I had exactly the same thought on the demand curve. Thought I should be fine with the question but then the final profit figure seemed enormous so I thought I must have gone wrong somewhere. Went back and quickly checked my pricing calc but it seemed ok and I couldn't spend too much longer. Maybe if we both thought the same thing we both got it right!!
Feeling a bit sick like you, understand completely how you feel! Was feeling quite relaxed before I opened the paper and saw those two questions. I wonder if I would have felt better about the other three if I didn't feel so bad about those? I was even doubting myself on the learning rate and the variances which I can usually do in my sleep.
I'm sad enough to have tried to work out a possible worst case mark for myself (not easy because it's easy to get the calculations wrong even if you think you got them right) but I can't for the life of me remember the mark allocation or even which question was which. I'm giving myself 0/15 for ZBB just in case as it really was just waffle, and not even that much waffle considering it was 15 marks!
Going to now repeat what my other half just said to me on the phone. "As long as you get 50% that's all that matters, stop trying to be perfect!"
If you think you did ok on Section A then that's a big chunk of the necessary marks already. Say you got all of them right - you only need another 10 from the whole of B to pass! You haven't crashed and burned, I'd bet on it. I think we're just disappointed we're not going to do as well as we could have done.0 -
Andrew, Jenny,
Thought I would add a few words.
I sat F5 three years ago, it too felt like a heavily discursive paper - more so that previously. I came of the exam hall devastated (as did my peers), I was CONVINCED I'd failed - to the extent that I told my employer and colleagues that there was no doubt.
It was, however, my first ACCA paper and I had to sit another two in the June sitting so had to pick myself up.
The result? Well, I had 88% for F5. All of my peers also passed. It is immensely difficult to judge how well (or not) any ACCA paper has gone, particularly F5! The markers really do want students to pass, so you'll get marks where they were deserved.
So, having been there, I'd say don't dwell on the past - it's over and nothing can be done about it. If you're taking more papers this sitting, focus on them. It's always been my mantra that where students have studied and prepared themselves for a paper they will get a pass. I'm sure you'll both be fine.
Roll on 1 August!1 -
Thanks KernowAccountant!
I've been telling myself that. I had an eighteen month break from ACCA due to some family issues so I'm reminding myself that this is exactly what happened with F7 where I thought I'd be lucky to scrape a pass and actually did pretty well.
I've got my fingers crossed that the marker is feeling generous (and can read my handwriting).
Got to forget about it now. F9 on Friday and F4 on Monday. If fate is kind F9 will be all investment appraisal and WACC calculations and nothing on Business Valuations!!0 -
Good luck with your next two; a pretty heavy few days! I thought F4 was heavenly when I sat it, but F9...!jenny3549 said:Thanks KernowAccountant!
I've been telling myself that. I had an eighteen month break from ACCA due to some family issues so I'm reminding myself that this is exactly what happened with F7 where I thought I'd be lucky to scrape a pass and actually did pretty well.
I've got my fingers crossed that the marker is feeling generous (and can read my handwriting).
Got to forget about it now. F9 on Friday and F4 on Monday. If fate is kind F9 will be all investment appraisal and WACC calculations and nothing on Business Valuations!!0 -
Thanks both for the encouragement, 88%! I would be reasonably happy with that! I'm going to forget about it all for a week and then crack on with F4 via distance learning.1
-
I like F9 more than I liked F5 but it's the size of the syllabus that's the problem. Every time I think I've gotten to grips with one part, I forget another part! Until today I thought I would probably do best in F4, followed by F5 and then F9 trailing in the rear. Although I don't like F5 I felt like I knew it all backwards but after today, now I'm really dreading Friday!
Good luck with F4 Andrew, will you do the CBE? I think that I should have opted for that in hindsight.0 -
CBE is the plan yes. I can't believe you are doing 3 in one go. I found one hard enough! 3 or 4 a year is what I'm hoping to do subject to resits. It's the most I can manage trying to juggle everything else.0
-
Believe me, I'll never do it again!! It's too hard to keep jumping from subject to subject as I keep forgetting everything in the meantime. We live and learn!0
-
Andrew,
Don't know if you'd want to look but Open Tuition have put their suggested answers to Section B up on their website. They won't be doing Section A as apparently ACCA are not going to publish the questions but it might put your mind at rest - it certainly did mine!0 -
I'm almost too scared to look! Might kill off any hope I have. Hope you're ready for tomorrow. Good luck0
